US and UK declare formal partnership on the safety of artificial intelligence

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As worries about the impending next-generation versions of artificial intelligence grow, the United States and Britain announced on Monday a new partnership in the field of artificial intelligence safety science.

Following promises made at an AI safety summit in Bletchley Park in November, US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and British Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan signed a memorandum of understanding in Washington, DC, to collaborate on developing advanced AI model testing. Raimondo states, “AI is the defining technology of our generation, as we all know.” “This partnership will expedite the work of both our institutes to address the risks associated with our national security concerns and the concerns of our wider society.”

As part of their official partnership, the United States and Britain intend to conduct joint testing on a model that is accessible to the public at least once, and they are also thinking about looking into personnel exchanges between the institutes. Both are attempting to establish comparable alliances with foreign nations to advance AI safety.

Donelan declared, “This is the first agreement of its kind anywhere in the world.” “AI has the potential to address some of the world’s most pressing issues and is already a tremendous force for good in our society—but only if we can manage the associated risks.”

Since the release of ChatGPT in November 2022, generative AI—which can produce text, images, and videos in response to open-ended prompts—has sparked both excitement and concerns that it could eliminate certain jobs, rig elections, and possibly even take over humankind.

Both nations intend to exchange important data on the risks and potential benefits of AI models and systems and technical research on AI security and safety. Joe Biden issued an executive order in October to lower the risks associated with AI.

The Commerce Department announced in January that it would like to mandate that US cloud providers check if foreign organizations are using US data centers for AI model training. In February, Britain announced it would establish nine new research hubs and provide AI regulators with training, all at a cost exceeding £100 million ($125.5 million).